The bedroom is actually the only place back home where you’re not receiving guests, and that makes bedroom interior design the most important one you’ll implement.
We all have different bedroom ideas-some of us want them to be more dramatic, while others strive towards neutrality, but one thing is for sure: we all want a bedroom with adjustable lights!
Lighting sets the mood in a place, and that’s a fact. That’s why we need to be careful with our bedroom lighting ideas, both for master bedrooms and children’s rooms.
Willing to hear few essential bedroom lighting tips? Let’s begin!
1. Size
You need to be aware of size as the most critical aspect of your bedroom lighting choice (other rooms too). The fixture doesn’t have to be oversized to emit and distribute light properly, meaning that even small lamps can be enough to illuminate each corner of the room.
A very popular contemporary bedroom lighting solution is to go for ample illumination with as many lights as possible, but this can have an opposite effect: you may get a room where a corner is perfectly illuminated, for the toll of the one across it that stays in complete darkness.
Whatever your choice is, you have to consider pieces that actually match the size of your bedroom-if you have a small, attic one, large pedants and chandeliers will not do the job properly.
2. Height
Keep scale in mind-bedrooms usually have low (8 ft.) or high (9 ft) ceilings, and both of this heights indicate how you should position your lighting fixtures.
The general tendency is to avoid long-bodied fixtures, and to prefer flush-mounted ones instead. Even if the ceiling is low, keep fixtures high enough to disperse light in every part of the room (you will need it for reading, dressing, etc).
3. Location
Who needs lights installed right above the bed? You don’t want to be blinded while resting in the evening, or to fall asleep afraid that you ornament chandelier is going to fall on your head.
Ideally, fixtures should be positioned overheads, as they throw pleasant soft light while you’re reading.
4. The functions of a lighting fixture
There are many, aren’t there? Together with the size of the room, function has a strong say on the type and quantity of fixtures you’re going to install. Think about the ambiance you need: Are you reading before you go to sleep?
5. Your options
Just because you had to give up on your luxurious rich-chandelier version for the bedroom, doesn’t mean you’ll find shopping for suitable fixtures boring. You need to understand that bedroom lighting is special, and functionality is what matters the most.
Coming in peace with the idea won’t be easy, as it wasn’t for many people who settled for layering in the end. Layering means you should apply more than a single light to enrich the ambiance, as for example standard chandelier and a table lamp for recessed illumination. Standing lamps and disposed candles are also a good idea.
6. Brilliant solutions for stylish illumination
With a stylish bedroom and a sophisticated theme, you certainly don’t want the lighting to appear out of place. That’s why you should pick lights that coincide with the colour scheme and the overall décor.
For instance, if you own a room inspired by the glamorous Hollywood Regency, you should settle for nothing less than a magnificent cascading chandelier. Moving in the opposite direction will lead you to simple and recessed lighting, something alike Serge Mouille lamps. You could even go for a hotel-elegance breeze, and hang traditional scones for a cool vibe.
7. Choosing a theme
A theme in bedroom terms refers to the mood you want to evoke. Do you prefer a romantic feeling enriched by incandescent wall scones throwing soft light?
Or is a dramatic surrounding with shiny chandeliers your cup of tea? Picking the right mood is really important, and you should definitely check some design magazines to get inspired. You wouldn’t believe all the awesome ideas people have!
8. Going innovative
The most innovative bedroom lighting solution is bedside fixtures. Beware-we’re not discussing the traditional ones, but the results of a long and fruitful evolution of design ideas.
You’re no longer supposed to purchase a classic nightstand lamp, because such is perfectly replaceable with pendant scones and suspended additions that free space and spread soft light. These fixtures are perfect for evening reading, and they work well in small rooms too. Not even to mention how easy it is to clean them!
9. Going electrically innovative
Just few years ago, you had no other choice but to turn off the light when you felt it was too strong. Nowadays, luckily, there are dimming remotes that allow you to control the strength of your bedroom lights, and to choose the exact light infusion for the mood you’re trying to evoke.
The best items for up-lighting and down-lighting are bed lamps with 3-way bulbs, ideally ones with stem-switch controls or on-off panels on the cord.
Dimmers are also good because they save energy, and will therefore have a very positive impact on your monthly budget. Besides, they are very practical: you could dim them to suggest you’re home while you’re off for the weekend, and you could even program them to switch off at a certain moment of time.
10. Display
Another important purpose of light in bedrooms is to highlight artwork, especially large sculptures and architectural textures.
Choose the point you want to see exposed, and let lights follow the pattern: for instance, bold and dramatic pieces should always be accompanied with direct spotlight. The more light you give to your favourite masterpiece, the more interesting to look at it will become.
11. The common lighting mistakes and how to avoid them
You wouldn’t believe this, but providing the right amount of light in the bedroom is a procedure full of hints and catches. Very often a seemingly good decision turns out to be a functionality disaster, and it all happens because people fail to learn some basic pitfalls before they install their lights.
The first one is to keep overhead lighting low. Overwhelming brightness will ‘kill’ the relaxing ambience, and it will mess up your otherwise perfect décor. The second one would be to restrict recessed lighting, especially if you own a small and soft bedroom that needs to radiate calmness.
12. Lighting fixtures as decorative tools
While most people perceive lights as something solely functional, we’d tell you that underestimating the decorative power of fixtures is not the best design idea you ever had.
You need to choose sophisticated and eye-pleasant fixtures, but you should do this in a precautious way: exaggerating with exquisite chandeliers that turn the bedroom into a showroom is aesthetically good, but does it really provide the appropriate illumination?
Will it comply with the rest of your lighting layers? All of this needs to be taken into account prior to a final decision.
13. The importance of children rooms’ lighting
You need to make sure that your child has just enough light to perform all of its activities. There should be the classic overhead light to keep the place bright, without shining directly into the child’s eyes to produce glare or squinting.
We’d suggest sliding table lamps next to the bed, or even soft wall scones for youngsters afraid of the dark. A very good idea would be to go creative, and to choose specific playful fixtures that match the theme of the room (as long as they are functional too).
